Bicycle brakes - apparently there's different sorts!

Orinoco

Orinoco

Well-known member
UKGSer Subscriber
Joined
Jun 1, 2010
Messages
2,001
Reaction score
565
Location
The Bride Valley
My bike, a used Thorn Club Tour came with flat bars, which was great and what I wanted and cantilever brakes, good with me. What I didn't know is that different brakes need different levers... who knew! Mine had the wrong sort for cantilever brakes, V-brake levers, but hey ho, I'll fit some of those then... but it seem I can't as the bike is 30 years old and at the point it was made there wasn't a standard width for v-brakes as they we're new... arrgghh.

It seems the levers I have pull more cable, but don't have the mechanical advantage needed, all a bit beyond me.

Just thought I'd share my frustrations :D
 
Orinoco said:
Just thought I'd share my frustrations
Click to expand...

Went through this couple of years ago.

I wanted to upgrade my bike's (disc) brakes to a full hydraulic system and quickly discovered it's so much of a faff that it's easier to just change pushbikes.
The good news is that, immediately after, I discovered I was setting up my (hydraulic, but cable actuated) calipers wrongly, hence the "weak" response. Fixed that, bike brakes decently despite my gentle weight on top of it.

The best thing is listening to the bike mech going on and on over technical stuff, making it sound more complex that what it is. They'd give a BMW dealer a run for their money :D
 
That's interesting Orinoco.

I have mucked about with bikes for many years, but I've never worked on V brakes and I had no idea there were levers with different rates (or perhaps ranges) of pull. Thanks for that.
 
If you get the pedals in the right place, you can jam your heel against the back tyre.
 
Orinoco said:
My bike, a used Thorn Club Tour came with flat bars, which was great and what I wanted and cantilever brakes, good with me. What I didn't know is that different brakes need different levers... who knew! Mine had the wrong sort for cantilever brakes, V-brake levers, but hey ho, I'll fit some of those then... but it seem I can't as the bike is 30 years old and at the point it was made there wasn't a standard width for v-brakes as they we're new... arrgghh.

It seems the levers I have pull more cable, but don't have the mechanical advantage needed, all a bit beyond me.

Just thought I'd share my frustrations :D
Click to expand...
I have found St John Street cycles (https://www.sjscycles.co.uk/) very helpful when getting parts for an older bicycle...might be worth talking to one of their knowledgeable people? (I also have a very old Thorn, an Explorer)
 
theoneandonly said:
or you could leave it outside for the pikey's to take it.
Click to expand...
Back when I would cycle a lot to work I would buy a new mountain bike every year or so as they didn't cost too much but I wore them out through use and abuse. I would keep a recently retired one as a 'just in case spare' and I ended up having to lock it up outside. Not having too many suitable 'big' locks I used a pair of padlocks and a thick wire security rope. When I discovered it gone one morning, I was more upset about loosing the locks.

To explain the just in case spare, I once crashed a bike on the way home. Managed to limp the pair of us home, then used the spare the morning after. If I wasn't well enough to cycle to work, I wasn't well enough to go in :D
 
simondippenhall said:
I have found St John Street cycles (https://www.sjscycles.co.uk/) very helpful when getting parts for an older bicycle...might be worth talking to one of their knowledgeable people? (I also have a very old Thorn, an Explorer)
Click to expand...
Yes, I'm a frequent visitor to SJSC, they're fortunately on the way between home and visiting mum! They've been really helpful. I've not come across a Thorn Explorer, I guess it must be about the same vintage, the Club Tour is 1995, pretty much at the start, off to Google :)
Thanks

Ohh.. a tandem, excellent
 
Orinoco said:
My bike, a used Thorn Club Tour came with flat bars, which was great and what I wanted and cantilever brakes, good with me. What I didn't know is that different brakes need different levers... who knew! Mine had the wrong sort for cantilever brakes, V-brake levers, but hey ho, I'll fit some of those then... but it seem I can't as the bike is 30 years old and at the point it was made there wasn't a standard width for v-brakes as they we're new... arrgghh.

It seems the levers I have pull more cable, but don't have the mechanical advantage needed, all a bit beyond me.

Just thought I'd share my frustrations :D
Click to expand...
I've seen bike shop people who forgot about that detail .... I'm not sure what brought this up as you have been using this bike a while. Trying to up grade? The V-brake lever will work with mechanical disc brakes but not canti's. But they do make a thing called a passport, which you pass the cable thru and it corrects the amount of pull. But, I think the passports I had once, allow you to use canti brake levers on V-brakes. I don;t know if you can go from v-brake levers to canti ..... But the frame of the bike is also limited, with a certain setup for each type of brakes, of which there are several ... But i'm just not sure what your trying to upgrade .....
 
Larry Langford said:
I've seen bike shop people who forgot about that detail .... I'm not sure what brought this up as you have been using this bike a while. Trying to up grade? The V-brake lever will work with mechanical disc brakes but not canti's. But they do make a thing called a passport, which you pass the cable thru and it corrects the amount of pull. But, I think the passports I had once, allow you to use canti brake levers on V-brakes. I don;t know if you can go from v-brake levers to canti ..... But the frame of the bike is also limited, with a certain setup for each type of brakes, of which there are several ... But i'm just not sure what your trying to upgrade .....
Click to expand...
Thanks. It's not an upgrade as such, I bought the bike last year from the estate of previous owner who had converted from 26" wheels and drops to 700c and flat bars, I assume due to age and wanting to carry on riding, he last rode it at 85 apparently. In doing so had fitted flatbar STI brifters, the brakes work, but the front in particular is hopelessly weak. It's been a project, bought unseen, I found rust which needed stripping and powder coating, so I'm a bit invested in getting it right!
 
MikeS said:
Is this an open invite or just for West Bay locals :D
Click to expand...
It's both for Ade (Orinoco) to come to my place for a coffee or for one or both of us to sort another South West coffee and cake get-together. I'm still waiting for my appeal against my medical disqualification, so am unable to ride/drive anywhere. West Bay is always a decent option and walkable for me. Hopefully my appeal will be sorted soon and I will be mobile again.
 
If I've understood correctly, you've got cantilever brakes, but v-brake levers? Shimano made plenty of v-brake levers for flat bars, used on lots of 80's mountain bikes. They also did an adjustable 'servo-wave' lever which could handle both types of brake.There should be some on ebay? As a first step I'd try a longer straddle cable on your cantis, and adjust the canti arms as far out as possible to improve the efficiency of your current set up.
 
Chris600v said:
If I've understood correctly, you've got cantilever brakes, but v-brake levers? Shimano made plenty of v-brake levers for flat bars, used on lots of 80's mountain bikes. They also did an adjustable 'servo-wave' lever which could handle both types of brake.There should be some on ebay? As a first step I'd try a longer straddle cable on your cantis, and adjust the canti arms as far out as possible to improve the efficiency of your current set up.
Click to expand...
Thanks, yes, you're right, though I'm going to try some mid 90's shimano STI combined brake/gear shifters which were designed for cantilevers, Deore LX-M565's, old tech, but hopefully they'll do the trick.

With the straddle cable, why longer? My understanding was that shortening it would increase the mechanical advantage
 
Orinoco said:
Thanks. It's not an upgrade as such, I bought the bike last year from the estate of previous owner who had converted from 26" wheels and drops to 700c and flat bars, I assume due to age and wanting to carry on riding, he last rode it at 85 apparently. In doing so had fitted flatbar STI brifters, the brakes work, but the front in particular is hopelessly weak. It's been a project, bought unseen, I found rust which needed stripping and powder coating, so I'm a bit invested in getting it right!
Click to expand...
I really do get the desire to bring it back to life (being the owner, currently, of 7 push bikes...) but...
30 yrs ago, my eldest wanted her first bike. I bought a little 'shitter' of a bike, stripped it, painted it with rattle cans then looked at what really needed replacing. I went to my local bike shop with my list. The owner of the bike shop, Robin Nolan, with his blue smock (like a factory stores worker) listened to what I needed and said "You're doing up an old bike for your kid, right?"
Yes, painted it, now just need the bits.
He then showed me a nearly new and very similar bike (bright yellow with pictures of jelly beans on it) It was £32. The parts I needed were well over £20. He ended up knocking a few quid off the £32, I took the frame, wheels and bits and pieces in to him to 'recycle' and walked out with a nearlty new bike for way less hassle in way better condition.
Some old bikes just aren't worth the effort. (This one of yours may be....just saying..some can't see the wood for the trees on occasion..me included)
 
If you think that cable pull and brake levers is a faff, it's another can of worms altogether when you start on gears.

Which levers match which derailleurs? - Those still running friction shifters are now sniggering.
 
Last edited:
My (1990s?) Thorn Explorer, bought secondhand 15-20 years ago through CTC advert and in regular use. Solid and reliable, not the lightest bike but will undoubtedly see me out! (And yes I know the Ortlieb pannier bag is not properly closed! :rolleyes: )
IMG_1863.jpeg
 
Davey B said:
Some old bikes just aren't worth the effort. (This one of yours may be....just saying..some can't see the wood for the trees on occasion..me included)
Click to expand...
IMHO that decision is usually dependent upon the quality of the steel used for the frame. For a kid's bike it's largely irrelevant (except for the weight, why are kids' bikes so heavy) but on an adult bike it's more significant.

Simon's bike appears to have Reynolds tubing, possibly 531 - if Adrian's is the same, it strengthens the argument for keeping it.

Plus... getting an old bike really sorted is just good fun.
 
Nippy Normans supply Touratech, Wunderlich, Desert Fox and many other makes of accessories.
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

mspenz
Poly V Belt on 1150GS(A), apparently there's a choice?
Replies
2
Views
1,435
mspenz
mspenz


Back
Top Bottom